Milbury Accused of Assaulting Boy at Rink

The police in Brookline, Mass, said Friday that they had charged the former Boston Bruins player and coach Mike Milbury with assaulting a 12-year-old pee-wee hockey player who was arguing with his son.

Capt. Tom Keaveney of the Brookline police said Milbury, an assistant coach on his son’s team, grabbed, threatened and shook the opposing player as the teams were shooting around after a Dec. 9 game at a town-owned rink. The boy was not hurt, Keaveney said.

Milbury, a former coach and general manager of the Islanders, is an N.H.L. analyst with NBC Sports, CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” and NESN, a cable sports station in New England. He is known as a sometimes outspoken proponent of traditional values of fighting and hard hitting, at one point criticizing what he called the “pansification” of hockey.”

According to a statement from NBC, he will remain off the air “while focusing on his affairs.” Milbury was expected to be part of the broadcast team for the Winter Classic, NBC’s showcase game between the Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 2.

Milbury, 59, will be summoned to court to face misdemeanor charges, including assault and battery on a 12-year-old, threats to commit a crime and disorderly conduct, Keaveney said. He said the police had video evidence.

Milbury, who lives in Needham, Mass., denied an assault “of any kind” in a statement from his lawyer.

“He simply intervened in an altercation between his son and an opposing player,” the statement said. “No one was struck, no one was injured and no one was threatened.”

Keaveney said officers interviewed witnesses, including the 12-year-old, before bringing charges.

Milbury, a rough-and-tumble defenseman, played parts of 12 seasons with the Bruins and later served as coach, leading the team to the Stanley Cup finals in 1990, when it lost to Edmonton.

Milbury was well known as a player for a 1979 incident when he brawled in the stands at Madison Square Garden with fans who had grabbed some teammates’ sticks, whacking one fan in the leg with his shoe.

SENATORS 6, PENGUINS 4 Jason Spezza scored twice and added two assists as Ottawa won at home against Pittsburgh.